Newbury Bypass - 20 years on

[whole diary]

[BerkshireBugsy]

Just seen this on the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) web site

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35235864

As someone who had just moved to the Newbury area at the time I remember this well - along with the appearance of Swampy (didn't he go on to protest at Manchester airport?) and the rare snails.

I suppose at the time it was difficult to imagine that the A34 would just be accepted as part of the landscape...maybe in time the OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") gantries will cease to be as controversial

Of course we have also had the Greenham peace women (before my time) and various AWE protests...what a lively area to live in!

[ChrisB]

Wonder what happened to Swampy? He's probably got a high-powered corporate job by now

[BerkshireBugsy]

Wonder what happened to Swampy? He's probably got a high-powered corporate job by now

Head of marketing for HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s))?

[Tim]

Wonder what happened to Swampy? He's probably got a high-powered corporate job by now

Swampy - real name Daniel Hooper- is a friend of a friend.  Last I heard he was working in forestry in Wales. 

[BerkshireBugsy]

Wonder what happened to Swampy? He's probably got a high-powered corporate job by now

Swampy - real name Daniel Hooper- is a friend of a friend.  Last I heard he was working in forestry in Wales. 

If the internet is to be believed you are right...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthnews/10282538/Swampy-retires-from-protests-to-get-a-job-picking-acorns.html

[Thatcham Crossing]

I moved to W Berks around about the time the bypass opened, so only experienced the horrors of what Newbury was like before it opened for a short while.

It certainly doesn't stop the A339 through town getting pretty clogged to this day - often at weekends and when there's a race meeting on.

One of the interesting facts around the bypass is that a lot of crushed concrete from the demise of the 3000m of runway at Greenham Common got used in the construction.

Yes, "Swampy" did go on to sit in a tree near to the site of the 2nd runway at Manchester International. That got built aswell ;-)

[BerkshireBugsy]

I moved to W Berks around about the time the bypass opened, so only experienced the horrors of what Newbury was like before it opened for a short while.

It certainly doesn't stop the A339 through town getting pretty clogged to this day - often at weekends and when there's a race meeting on.

One of the interesting facts around the bypass is that a lot of crushed concrete from the demise of the 3000m of runway at Greenham Common got used in the construction.

Yes, "Swampy" did go on to sit in a tree near to the site of the 2nd runway at Manchester International. That got built aswell ;-)

You are spot on about traffic on race days. I believe on the most recent race day the new bridge over the railway (and the eastern end of the race course) was temporarily opened but because I don't remember venturing into that part of the world that day I can't recall what effect it had.

As you probably know the Boundary Line road bridge, which needs to be raised to allow the OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") for the track which it crosses, is now closed for a year.

As for protesters (generally) I have no problem with peaceful demonstrations but some of the tactics the A34 protesters (and the Greenham Peace Camp women for that matter) used were a little unsavoury.  Regarding Greenham common there was collective local disbelief when the council agreed to a memorial to the peace movement being built!

[didcotdean]

As a major road, the Newbury bypass seems sub-standard in a lot of respects, particularly the layout of some of the junctions and lay-bys.

[BerkshireBugsy]

As a major road, the Newbury bypass seems sub-standard in a lot of respects, particularly the layout of some of the junctions and lay-bys.

I agree - but prior to the Newbury bypass stretch being built Newbury was a major bottleneck for traffic coming from the M3 to the M40...as far as I know there are no longer any roundabouts between these two points which is great for through traffic.

[didcotdean]

The main pinch point then becoming Chievely (largely solved just after the turn of the century with a dog's dinner of an interchange), and junctions with the M40 and M3.

Need to work out what to do at Botley though too really.

[BerkshireBugsy]

The main pinch point then becoming Chievely (largely solved just after the turn of the century with a dog's dinner of an interchange), and junctions with the M40 and M3.

Need to work out what to do at Botley though too really.

I think "Dogs Dinner" is probably a good way of describing the A34/M4 junction at Chievely. If I have been north I do not like the section where you have to switch from the A34 to the A339 which I would consider to be a "high speed" crossover

Moving north, if you sort out the north bound traffic delays at Botley you then make the problem at the junction with the M40 even worse!

[Tim]

Wonder what happened to Swampy? He's probably got a high-powered corporate job by now

Swampy - real name Daniel Hooper- is a friend of a friend.  Last I heard he was working in forestry in Wales. 

If the internet is to be believed you are right...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthnews/10282538/Swampy-retires-from-protests-to-get-a-job-picking-acorns.html

Thanks,  Having 4 children isn't very green is it.

[BerkshireBugsy]

Wonder what happened to Swampy? He's probably got a high-powered corporate job by now

Swampy - real name Daniel Hooper- is a friend of a friend.  Last I heard he was working in forestry in Wales. 

If the internet is to be believed you are right...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthnews/10282538/Swampy-retires-from-protests-to-get-a-job-picking-acorns.html

Thanks,  Having 4 children isn't very green is it.

MMMmmm.not sure I agree about the lack of greeness Tim ..if I read the article correctly there are no electricity or water supplies to the site where they live. So how they wash I have no idea!

[Bmblbzzz]

I moved to W Berks around about the time the bypass opened, so only experienced the horrors of what Newbury was like before it opened for a short while.

It certainly doesn't stop the A339 through town getting pretty clogged to this day - often at weekends and when there's a race meeting on.

One of the interesting facts around the bypass is that a lot of crushed concrete from the demise of the 3000m of runway at Greenham Common got used in the construction.

Yes, "Swampy" did go on to sit in a tree near to the site of the 2nd runway at Manchester International. That got built aswell ;-)

You are spot on about traffic on race days. I believe on the most recent race day the new bridge over the railway (and the eastern end of the race course) was temporarily opened but because I don't remember venturing into that part of the world that day I can't recall what effect it had.

As you probably know the Boundary Line road bridge, which needs to be raised to allow the OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") for the track which it crosses, is now closed for a year.

As for protesters (generally) I have no problem with peaceful demonstrations but some of the tactics the A34 protesters (and the Greenham Peace Camp women for that matter) used were a little unsavoury.  Regarding Greenham common there was collective local disbelief when the council agreed to a memorial to the peace movement being built!

Somewhat OT, but while I don't remember the specific tactics used by the Greenham women, I do think that it's a mistake to refuse to commemorate significant events and people because we find them unsavoury. They happened, and that's what should be remembered, hopefully in good and bad aspects: just as we have a statue of a major philanthropist in the centre of Bristol who happened to be a slave trader or as the names of Lenin and Stalin need to remembered, in celebration and condemnation, in Eastern Europe.

[John R]

The main pinch point then becoming Chievely (largely solved just after the turn of the century with a dog's dinner of an interchange), and junctions with the M40 and M3.

Need to work out what to do at Botley though too really.

There is a proposal (announced late 14) to provide a free flowing link southbound from the A34 to the M3, but I suspect it is still several years away.